My postcards from Seoul are on their way after all!! All thanks to the kind and talented Joon who helped to post them after they were saved from an almost accidental disposal as garbage! Kamsahamnida, Joon! See you in Seoul again, sometime!
My first quarter of the year has quite literally, flown by, with 21,058 miles clocked in the air… in a big piece of metal hurtling through the skies, paying homage to the Four Asian Tigers, as friends had amusingly pointed out! I’ve outgrown the novelty of the window seat by the wings and am now an appreciative fan of the middle aisle seat, rondelé garlic and herbs cheese spread and air stewardesses with sincere smiles and not little gloomy clouds over their heads due to tight panties beneath their batik kebayas.
Things that do not last
have indescribable beauty
After a stretch of operating on crazy schedules, ungodly hours, surreal deadlines and a luggage bag that never really got unpacked, three days of traipsing around Seoul with Huiling afforded a much needed break. Despite the temperamental weather, we had halcyon days of exploring cobblestone streets lined with weeping willows and wafting with freshly brewed coffee, stuffing oneself silly with kimchi and dolsot bibimbap, eating hot pancakes in the freezing wind, squealing a muffled arrghhhh each time we exited the underground and bidding good night to delightfully gross sea creatures…
The spring date with Seoul was a collective mesh of moments that reminded me of Anne Bogart’s advice about the magical creative place or position of not knowing what to make of something or being unsure, the power in challenging certainty with uncertainty and that annoying but most wonderful moment of thoughts falling into place just as one is almost falling asleep. I’ve found cherry blossoms, circled the trees, stood blinking in the cold rain and at long last, understood their strange zen-like appeal… they made me strangely happy.
My first weekend of the second quarter was spent eating, sleeping, watching Astro, and just lepak-ing with Supra, Atah and Mama. Before the madness picks up again in June, I’m reclaiming my lazy weekends with kindred spirits, family and dedidated days of solitude… with my feet back on familiar grounds and perhaps a pedicure or two! Aja!
